Cursed
by nukesyy
Summary: [Yogscast][Rythna][30DayChallenge][Prompt 2 of 30:Physical Ailment] Rythian gets weaker and weaker everyday, and, in desperation, he turns to the only man he knows can help. Lalna, whom he'd also like to kill.


Rythian traced the dark lines swirling out from his blackened lips with a sigh, looking, in the eyes, at the tired face staring back at him in the mirror. Eyes, a washed-out hue of pinkish-purple, surrounded by the same tendrils of darkness that were slowly over-taking him. Letting out another mournful breath, he hitches his mask back onto his face, slipping some goggles he'd borrowed from Zoey over his eyes. He smirked, though the expression was bittersweet, at the way they suit him. He could still feel powerful when he looked like this, when he didn't have to see the blackness that was slowly covering his skin, when he didn't have to look at the burn scars all over his body, remnants of the destruction that Sjin and Lalna had wreaked upon his old life. They would pay... But once he had regained his strength, once he didn't have this _thing _sapping his energy.

He slipped his rings onto his fingers, and made sure everything he needed was in place on his belt. No use being unprepared, though he sincerely hoped that this visit didn't go sour. But then, it was Lalna he was planning on talking to. Hope didn't really mean anything. He just prayed, murmuring the words softly, that he would hold up in front of the scientist.

Realising that it would probably be best to just get this over with, he began his journey to the tall-towered castle, relishing, as he was prone to doing, the feeling of flight. He dipped and rose across the landscape, the blackness trying to absorb this power of his. He fought against it, of course, but it was only by chance that the humming of his flying ring became a dullness the moment he stepped foot at the front of Lalna's castle. He sighed, but moved forward, knocking on the, frankly over-sized, door with a gloved hand.

"Hello?" The scientist's curious tones made the greeting a question. As if he hadn't seen Rythian coming.

"You know who it is, Lalna." The reply came out more snarled than he meant it to. He cursed himself for his accidental aggression.

"Rythian? What are you doing here?" Was that a hint of amusement he heard in Lalna's voice?

"... I need to ask you a favour." Rythian's pause was more a moment to compose himself than anything else, not wanting to come off as murderous.

"Okay..." The door opened, and Lalna stepped through it. He looked as askew as ever, the only bit of him that was remotely neat being his goggles, which were perched on his head. He blinked, seeming a little shocked, probably by the way Rythian looked, but then smiled warmly. "Come on in, I'll get you a drink." The scientist gestured to a door, then went off down some stairs in the courtyard. Rythian raised an eyebrow at the way Lalna seemed to trust him not to ruin his experiments, not that he planned to. Gritting his teeth as a wave of fatigue overcame him, he opened the door, going inside and looking around with a small amount of badly-concealed amazement. He hadn't seen quite this much complex machinery in a small space before, and as much as he despised it, he was taken aback by how much it seemed to be doing.

Shaking himself before Lalna could come across him, he walked over to the teleporter, and smiled as the familiar feeling came over him. He stepped off again, and, much to his displeasure, stumbled on the next step he took. He found himself a decent place to sit down and wait for the scientist, who appeared, a moment later, with two mugs containing a questionable substance. It was probably just alcohol, but it didn't hurt to be suspicious.

"So, what was the favour you were going to ask for?" Lalna asked, after a few moments of barely-restrained silence.

"I... I need... I need..." Rythian struggled to find the energy to complete his sentence, as if the being were stopping him from finding assistance. Lalna gave him a curious, slightly concerned, look, tilting his head as if to examine Rythian.

"Rythian? Are you okay?" The mage sincerely hoped that it wasn't a hint of amusement that he heard in the other man's voice, but, knowing Lalna, he couldn't be sure. In response, he merely nodded, holding up a hand as he composed himself.

"Yeah... Yeah..." He pushed himself up, suddenly wanting to be out of Lalna's piercing gaze, so the that scientist wouldn't see him like this, so weak. He cursed himself as he stumbled, flinching when Lalna rushed over to him and held him steady.

"Rythian?"

With that, his strength failed, and he crumpled to the floor, his vision swimming in and out. He vaguely heard the sound of swearing, and, very acutely, felt the sharp discomfort of a needle in his arm. He blinked, making a mumbled protest, as the goggles were pulled off, and his mask was pulled down.

"Rythian, what is this?" Rythian made another quiet noise, sounding almost helpless. Lalna furrowed his brow, humming to himself. After a moment's pause, he shrugged, smiling softly. He pulled Rythian onto his feet, and began guiding him to an unknown wing of the castle. "We're going to get you better, 'kay?" The only reply he got was a shaky nod.


End file.
